This invention relates generally to means for attaching watchbands to wristwatches, and more particularly to an interchangeable end piece serving as an intermediary member between the watchband and the watchcase.
Various special types of attachments have been proposed to connect a watchband to a wristwatch case so that the user can easily remove the band. Exemplary of such arrangements is the following list of patents which, is by no means inclusive, but serves to illustrate the state of the art.
______________________________________ PATENT Number INVENTOR ISSUE DATE ______________________________________ 1,382,256 Tomchin June 21, 1921 2,629,981 Melik-Minassiantz March 3, 1953 3,165,884 Gwinner et al January 19, 1965 4,217,681 Grohoski et al Aufust 19, 1980 ______________________________________
The foregoing constructions require special shapes or connectors on the watch case, in contrast to the conventional connection means, which comprises two spaced lugs or horns on the watch case with opposed holes to receive a "spring bar" with spring loaded pintels which snap into the holes. However there are various spacings and configurations between the lugs and, although these are more or less standardized in the industry, nevertheless large inventories of watchbands of different widths must be carried in order to accommodate the different lug spacings.
Constructions are known in the art which employ an intermediate member between the watchband and the watchcase which has a tubular section on one side to receive a conventional spring bar and which has means on the other side to connect to a watchband.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,923 issued June 17, 1975 to Reith discloses such an intermediate member, having a plate attached to the end of the watchband by a hinged clasp connection designed to be operated by the user for changing watchbands. The intermediate member has a variable length tubular section to accommodate variable lug spacings.
French Pat. No. 1,025,863 to Chatenoud, filed Oct. 12, 1950, has an intermediate member with a fixed length tubular member on one side and a tongue adapted to slide into and be retained within the interior of a spring coil watchband.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,115 issued to Williams on Nov. 18, 1980 includes an intermediate member with a tongue adapted to slide between spring-biased release buttons.
While the foregoing constructions might be suitable for their particular applications, it is desired to have an improved low cost means for attaching an intermediate end piece between the watchcase and the watchband and which is very low cost so that the intermediate members can be provided in various lengths to accommodate different lug spacings on the one hand, while adapted to be easily attached to a universal and uniform connection on the watchband on the other hand.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved interchangeable end piece for connecting a watchband to a watchcase using conventional spring bars.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved releasable connector between an end piece and a watchband.